Jackson County Residents Receive Weather Radios

By Brian Hill&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Thu 6:17 PM, Jun 05, 2014&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Thu 8:08 PM, Jun 05, 2014

JACKSON COUNTY The FEMA disaster assistance office that opened in Jackson County two weeks ago is closing this weekend. But Jackson County officials say local victims will still get help. They want to prepare residents for future disasters.

A temporary FEMA disaster center in Jackson County has been helping the victims of the heavy rains and flooding that came in late April and early May. The office is scheduled to close this Saturday.

"It has been an outstanding; I mean outstanding response, from federal, state, and local people,” said Jackson County Emergency Management Director Rodney Andreasen. “I mean it worked just like it was supposed to work."

A little more than 200 people contacted the center for help, less than Andreasen expected.

"I was expecting it to be more. Absolutely. People still have time to go. If they feel that they are eligible, I would urge them to go," he explained.

As the recovery continues, county officials want to help arm residents with a tool that may give them some advanced warning against another weather event. Free weather radios.

Andreasen will be working with the senior citizens center to give out the radios.

"We’re gonna target the senior citizens and special needs persons because they are one group ----mobility may be limited. We wanna give them as much warning time as possible."

The county will use bout $14,000 in state and federal funds to buy the weather radios. They should be available later this month.

If you need more assistance from FEMA representatives, you can contact FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585(TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

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